Ten vital travel skills needed to improve travel

One of the mantras of the U.S. Marine Corps is “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.” If ever there was a motto for travelers, that’s the one. On many trips, when traveling domestically or internationally, what can go wrong often does go wrong, so you need ten vital travel skills to be prepared to improvise and adapt to keep your journey moving forward in a positive way.

Here are ten vital travel skills and abilities all travelers should master to be prepared to meet the challenges of travel and enjoy the journey even when difficulties do occur.

Be willing to speak with strangers at your destinations:
Do you want to know the best spots to get amazing photos of your destination, the names of the best restaurants, the best shops for locally produced goods and bargains, or interesting sights to visit which have received little or no publicity? If you do, you’ve got to be willing to speak with strangers at your destination.

You can get some similar information from your hotel concierge, but often they have too many contacts and locations they favor, which can cause you to miss terrific opportunities.

Learn math and base information to estimate conversions:
Traveling internationally has many challenges. Understanding how much the local currency is worth, and thereby understanding the value of what you’re purchasing, is essential. But currency exchange isn’t the only conversion you’ll need to make. Temperature and distance will need to be converted if you’re living in the US and traveling almost anywhere else. Smartphone apps can assist you.

Be prepared to use a squat toilet:
When you’re out and about in many places in the world you may encounter a squat toilet. Learn to straddle it. (You’ll have to decide if you can take your pants down or not according to floor conditions which are sometimes wet.) If you’re going to countries with them, bring toilet paper with you, as often squat toilets don’t have any.

Know first aid:
Sometimes on trips you’re in the middle of nowhere. You should have and know how to use a basic first aid kit. You should have skills to treat cold and heat injuries, wounds, and if climbing at all, altitude sickness. You should also be able to perform life saving skills such as CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.

Don’t plan on seeing everything:
In many locations the number of sights to visit are more than most people have time to see. Smart travelers plan their journey in advance. They prioritize the sights they wish to visit and reconcile themselves to the fact that at most locales they can’t see every sight. They know it’s okay and don’t let it spoil what they can see.

Learn how to use a needle and thread
You never know when you’re going to need to repair clothes or even luggage, so you need to learn how to hand sew. You should travel with a basic sewing kit. For example, I can’t tell you how many buttons I’ve sewed back on my clothing while traveling.

Additional Tip: Luggage repair which requires sewing is beyond the capability of most travelers, so don’t forget to bring travel size rolls of duct tape to make temporary luggage repairs during your journeys. I typically carry several rolls and they have saved me many times.

Know how to haggle:
Haggling is an art and a skill which you can learn, unless you always want to pay full price, especially in street or central square markets. Haggling may also be done in stores. My wife and I were in a rug store in Turkey. The haggling went on for more than 15 minutes. We almost walked out of the store five times. Remember, if the vendor meets your price, you’re obligated to make the purchase, so don’t be an ugly traveler and refuse to buy after the vendor meets your demands. Don’t haggle unless you’re serious about buying.

Know how to swim:
If you’re out on a boat and the worst happens, knowing how to swim can save your life. It can also give you some amazing experiences while traveling.

Learn how to blend in:
In some locations, knowing how to blend in with the crowd is a life-safety skill. As a tourist you don’t want to bring unwanted attention to yourself. Skip the headphones while walking around. You don’t want to identify yourself or reduce your attention to your surroundings. Be careful of what you wear, and don’t use backpacks with famous brand names which will make you stand out in a crowd.

For a driving trip:
Know how to drive a manual shift. While driving internationally, even if you start with an automatic shift car, if something happens, you may be stuck with a manual shift auto. Know how to change a tire, as you might be in the middle of nowhere with no cell service to get help. Know how to read a map and make sure you have them. GPS units can fail and be unreliable.

These skills and abilities can help you deal with the most common troubles you may encounter while traveling, especially internationally. Learn them so you can use them.

(Image: On the Road, Caen, Normandy, France, Copyright 2009 NSL Photography. All Rights Reserved.)